Digital Typhoon: Cyclone ZOE

1. Cyclone ZOE

2003-1-5

It may not be a pleasant flight for people flying to Tikopia Island, a
small isolated island in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, just
after the strike of the tropical cyclone Zoe, which was one of the
most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded in that area.
Based on
meteorological satellite images, the local meteorological agency
estimated its intensity to be the strongest class with maximum wind
exceeding 80 meters per second. These figures remind us of the worst
case -- the island was totally demolished by devastating wind, and
washed away by a series of huge storm surges.
The press people, who were then flying to the island for studying the
extent of the disaster, were afraid that they would see a number of
casualties in the island. But, to their surprise, they discovered that
the islanders had no casualties because of the killer storm, thanks to
their appropriate decision making. That is, all the people in the
island decided to evacuate into a cave in the center of the island,
where they knew is the safest place in the island. This decision
making saved the lives of islanders.
Their decision making sounds even more miracle when we realize that
this tropical cyclone has shown a so-called "rapid deepening," the
unexpected intensification of the tropical cyclone in a short period
of time. Unexpectedly rapid intensification often leads to severe
disasters, because people are attacked by tropical cyclones before
their preparedness reaches the level of tropical cyclones after
intensification. Fortunatelly, the islanders could collect necessary
information and they also knew where they were safe.

3. Image Collection

Images below are observed by the Japanese geostationary meteorological
satellite GMS-5, its infrared sensor (IR1), and visible sensor (VIS).
The center of the image is fixed to Tikopia Is. (S12.1, E168.5),
Solomon Islands. The time zone is UTC. The maximum sustained wind
(knots) in parentheses shows the analysis by Joint Typhoon Warning Center.